- Eskom to continue stage 2 load shedding
- Works ongoing to replenish electricity reserves
South African state-owned power utility Eskom has announced that it will continue Stage 2 load shedding, which commenced last Friday. Eskom had previously alerted consumers to a possible load shedding due to constraints on its network. The load shedding is expected to continue until Thursday as Eskom works to replenish its electricity reserves.
Stage two load shedding is expected to continue until Thursday following a breakdown of several of its units at Tutuka power station and a breakdown of Komati and Hendrina power stations.
“Whilst still recovering four units at Tutuka, which had experienced conveyor belt failures, the fleet suffered a cluster of boiler tube leaks within a short period of time. The return of a generating unit at Majuba power station… provided some relief. However, this was insufficient to curb the extensive use of emergency reserves,” Eskom said.
Eskom has urged its customers to cut down on electricity consumption to avoid further breakdowns of its network. “During this time, Eskom will be working hard to return a number of generating units to service, and we urge the public to continue using electricity sparingly. Total breakdowns amount to 14,760MW, while planned maintenance is 5,277MW of capacity.” Eskom said.